Roses and Crossbones
by King-Mac-11
Summary: There was once a pirate who sent the most powerful of men into a panic. He could scare entire kingdoms. He was a fierce individual and an unyielding force of power. He was Captain Azure Eye. He also has a rather interesting connection with the present day...
1. Roses

**King: Hello there everybody! Okay, first things first. This is actually a piece I completed a while ago. It was never released in its entirety and I wanted to at least get the rest in. So enjoy!**

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It was another day in the classrooms of Beacon Academy. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long sat in their seats, waiting for Professor Port to arrive. He was normally early to his class; but today, he was nowhere to be seen.

"What do you think is taking him?" Yang asked.

"Maybe he got sick and had to stay home." Ruby replied.

"Alright. I'm cool with no class today."

"Will you two be quiet?" Weiss said, annoyed. "If he was sick, they would send a substitute."

Almost on que, the door opened and the substitute in question walked in. He had blue hair and mirrored sunglasses. His white button-up shirt was covered by a formal vest that was half orange and half black. He stood at Professor Port's desk. "My name is Professor Justinian. I'll be acting as your substitute while Professor Port is out."

Yang and Ruby seemed a bit disappointed about having to have class. Weiss was prepared to take notes. Blake didn't seem effected in the slightest. The majority of the class just seemed confused. After all, their 'substitute teacher' didn't seem much older than most of them.

Justinian looked around the classroom. "You all doubt me… That's fine. Now, for a bit of background. Professor Port is known for telling outrageous stories about himself to teach you about the Grimm. I'm going to tell you a story too outrageous to believe. But rest assured, this is a true story."

The class was restless. Most of the students were just uninterested, others were waiting for the story, and some didn't seem to care. Team RWBY perfectly represented the class attitude.

Justinian sighed. He threw up a red cloth to catch the class' attention. He then drew a cutlass and hooked the cloth on the sword's blade. He stuck the blade into Professor Port's desk. The cloth unveiled, revealing it had been a flag. "Everyone paying attention now?"

The class had quieted. Everyone watched the flag and tried to think what he was going to tell them. Why the flag? What does it mean?

Justinian had their attention. "Good. Now, I'm going to tell you about a man that singlehandedly held the fate of the four Kingdoms in his hands. A king of the seas, lord of the oceans, and master of the tides. He was a man without kingdom and without fear. A pirate that refused to die. David 'Azure-eye' Jones…" The flag unfurled at the mention of the name. It was a solid red background and in its center was a blue rose pattern." …Captain of the Azure Rose."

"Now then…" Justinian looked over the classroom. "…for those of you who don't know, the Azure Rose is said to be a ghost ship. The only person who has ever set foot onto the vessel is Azure Eye. No one is truly certain where the name of the ship originates from. Many believe it to be a reference of the symbol on his flag. However, there is no evidence able to prove or dismiss this. There is little anyone truly knows about Azure Eye's ship.

The class had started to drift. Many tried to pay attention, but their minds would drift off. One such student was the 15 year old with silver eyes. "This is boring," she whispered.

"Quiet, Ruby." Weiss whispered back.

Ruby sighed. "But he said he was going to teach us about a pirate, not a ship…"

"Miss Rose," Justinian had halted class and was turned toward Ruby. "If you're quite done…"

"I'm sorry."

Justinian turned back to his lesson. "Now, you are all waiting for me to tell you about a monster. That Azure Eye was a being who killed all those in his way and crippled the kingdoms. While it's true he held the kingdoms in his hand, he did not kill. Azure Eye merely crippled the ship and took its cargo. Despite this, he took from the richest, most powerful families of the age and often from the kingdoms themselves. He was a man, but far from human. It's said that, the one time he was captured, he was scheduled to be executed. A death by hanging. It's said that after hanging for ten minutes: he laughed, cut himself down from the gallows, and declared, 'I cannot be killed by such weaklings.' He then cut his way through soldiers and back to his ship."

A hand in the back of the class raised. "Excuse me, sir."

"Yes…" Justinian looked at the seating chart at his desk. "Miss Sustrai."

"I read that his ship wrecked not far from the Vale docks. Is that true?"

"There is a wreckage on the shore near the docks, but it is difficult to tell whether it is the Azure Rose or another vessel. That said, none of you are to approach that wreckage. It's been deemed too dangerous for even experienced huntsmen and huntresses to approach. I'm I understood?"

The class all agreed, but some had ideas in their heads about the ship and how to get there. They only had one thing stopping them.

Justinian could see the excitement in some of the students' eyes. "I said, no one is to approach that wreckage. Am. I. Understood?" His tone of speech hammered it home. Do not go near the ship. "Let's continue. There are many people who told stories of their encounters with Azure Eye. He was described as a young man with the aura of a man who knew he would not die. It's believed he was pierced through the heart, shot in the head, beaten with a piece of scrap metal, and lived."

A murmur of disbelief grew in the students. Only one continued to look on with excited eyes, Miss Ruby Rose.

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 **King: So... what'd you think? Chapter one... What? Did you think this was it? Oh ye of little faith... This is only the beginning.**


	2. Crossbones

Hundreds of years in the past, before the advent of the airships that fly through the skies of Remnant, the kingdoms were connected only by sea. One particular route was the only route that all four kingdoms used. However, this is not an age of peace. The Kingdoms are all at each other's throats. One thing that didn't help was the abundance of pirates patrolling the waters in the hopes of taking some of the kingdoms' treasures. Over time, the sailors in charge of the kingdoms' ships were more experienced, to the point where the pirates became exponentially less effective at their trade. These sailors fought the harshest of weather, the most dangerous of diseases, and the worst of human and faunas. They feared nothing… except one man.

The day was the 15th. The month, long forgotten. A ship from Atlas had set sail for Vale. Weeks had passed and the crew was becoming restless. Their cargo and its handler arbitrarily decided this would be a no stop trip. What the cargo was, no one knew. The handler, no one wanted to know.

The handler was an infuriating man. He had a condescending personality and no filter in his speech. He would talk down to the majority faunas crew with such frequency, the crew started to think about ways to "accidently" toss him overboard. The only thing keeping him alive was the fact that he had to make it to the dock in order to complete the order.

Another factor was the level-headed captain. The captain constantly kept his crew in check, but barely. Although, after the latest string of comments about his crew, he was at his wit's end. He had to confront the bastard. "Do excuse me…"

The handler interrupted him. "What now? Why do any of you not understand that I wish to be left alone?"

The Captain took a deep breath before speaking. "Sir… Your speech to the crew is why I'm here."

"You mean the animals? I hardly see why you need to care what I say about them."

Despite his urge to punch the man in his jaw and tie him to the main mast for the rest of the trip, the captain held himself back. "They are hardly animals. I've sailed the world with this crew. They're the best crew you could ever have."

"I'm sure… animals take orders so much better than humans."

The captain spoke through gritting teeth. "I'm sorry for disturbing you…" When he left, he took off his hat and stretched a pair of rabbit-ears. "Insufferable son of a…"

"Captain!" the lookout cried out, cutting off the captain.

"What?"

"Ship off the port side! She's flying a blue flag!"

The color in the captain's face washed away at hearing this. "TURN US AROUND NOW!"

The sudden jolt of the change in direction knocked the handler out of his cabin. "What are you doing?! We need to get to Vale by nightfall!"

"The schedule or your life?!"

"What?! Are you threatening me, captain?"

The lookout cried out again. "She's seen us, Captain! Her flag is changing! It's the Azure Rose!"

The first cannonballs flew through the air and ripped the deck apart. Another wave destroyed the masts. A third strike prevented retaliation. In just three attacks, the Azure Rose had halted the vessel's advance; they were dead in the water.

"Captain, what do we do now?"

"There's not much we can do. Get ready to repair the ship. We are going to be boarded. If one person walks on, do not fight back. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The handler was not happy about what he just heard. "What?! Why would you just let them on? What are you planning?"

The Azure Rose crept up on the ship. It stopped directly to the ship's side. There was no crew on the Azure Rose. There was no signs of life at all. A plank was placed between the ships. A figure started to walk across the plank. He was fairly tall and dressed in a long blue Captain's coat. He had black cloth gloves, a pair of cutlasses, and a set of five dust pistols. His hair was sea-foam green and his eyes were a deep blue. He was a powerful presence with an intimating aura. He was David Jones, "Azure Eye." He stepped onto the ship and looked around. He looked from person to person, finally settling his gaze on the captain. "Captain Marcus Scarlatina?"

The captain nodded. "May I ask why you've boarded my ship?"

"You can, but I'm not going to say. Not yet, though." Azure Eye walked up to the captain and looked over to the handler. "You… I recognize you. Lukas Schnee."

Lukas was frozen. He could tell this man wasn't normal. "W-what do you want?"

Azure Eye walked toward the cabin given to Lukas. He kicked in the door and walked in.

"Hey!" Lukas was held back by Captain Scarlatina.

Azure Eye walked out with a box. He broke the box apart and held the contents in hand. It was a ring. "You know what this is… right?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." As Azure Eye walked passed him, he stabbed the pirate though the heart with a short sword. "Leave that alone!"

The pirate turned his head to see his attacker. His blue eyes burning with a true and terrible anger. "You know she wants nothing to do with you."

"SHUT UP!"

Azure Eye swung one of his two cutlasses and lopped Lukas's hand off. As the handler dropped to the ground in pain, Azure Eye walked back to his own ship. "Let this be a lesson to all of you." The Azure Rose began to move and disappeared into the horizon. Azure Eye held the ring in his hand. It was a solid gold ring with a diamond adorning one side, an engagement ring. "You can't have her, Lukas." He removed a glove and looked at his hand. On his left ring finger, was a gold wedding band, "She's already spoken for…"

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Lukas, after arriving in Vale and now forcibly left-handed, found himself in a bar near the local dock. Sitting next to him was his old time friend, Charles 'Charlie' Arc. Lukas took a gulp of his beer and said, "This is bullshit, Charlie."

"Still mad that Autumn got married while you were away in Atlas?"

"No! Well, yes… but what I'm mad about is that I'm only just now hearing about it. She got married a year ago. She could have sent a letter to Atlas. Given some kind of message that she had. But what do I get? Nothing!"

"I think you might have had a few too many of those…"

"Shut up." He emptied his glass with his next gulp. "And what's worse, when I ask to meet the husband, he's nowhere to be seen."

"Hey… maybe it's just bad timing."

"They have a kid already! He should be at home taking care of his wife and daughter!"

"Calm down, Lukas. It's a dangerous world and it needs people to keep it safe."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Word around the kingdom is that he's a huntsman."

Lukas got another drink and started by taking a giant gulp. "Yeah… I'll believe it when I meet him."

A dock worker bust through the door. "You're not gonna believe this!"

The bar patrons turned to him in confusion. Lukas leaned over to Charlie, "Hell's with this guy?"

"The Azure Rose just docked in the port!"

The bar erupted in shock. The Azure Rose never approached a port. What was it doing arriving in Vale?

Lukas nearly had a heart attack. "What the…!" He jumped up to his feet and ran out toward the dock.

"Dammit Lukas!" Charlie cried. He paid for the drinks and ran after his friend.

Lukas stopped at the area overlooking the dock. Sure enough, in the harbor was the fabled ship. The vessel of the pirate who attacked him on his way to Vale. Lukas stood there in shock. Did he come to finish the job?

While the city buzzed with word of the legendary ship appearing in the harbor, a young man walked down the streets. He was dressed in a blue, hooded cape. He walked through the crowded city and made his way to a small house near the center of town. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

Standing behind the door was a young woman wearing an orange dress. The dress itself had red and yellow petal patterns around the collar and cuffs of the sleeves. Her red hair offset by her bright silver eyes. "Hello. Would you like to come in? I'm sure your wife and daughter would be happy to see you."

The man removed his hood revealing his sea-foam green hair and deep blue eyes. "I would like that very much."

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 **King: Hello again. This story isn't going to take very long to publish. I already have it completed, I'm just releasing it piece by piece for fun.**


	3. The Ship

Classes ended the following Friday. Team RWBY had started to walk through the hallway when Yang spoke up. "What's say we find that ship and find out if it's really that Azure Rose?"

"You can't be serious…" Weiss berated.

"Oh come on. Professor Oobleck says that history leaves its marks all around us. It's up to us to find them. So, why not?"

Ruby's eyes started to glow in excitement. Ever since Professor Justinian told them about the pirate Azure Eye, she wanted to know more about the legendary figure and his ship.

Of course, by this point, Weiss knew she would be out voted on this issue. She turned to Blake in hopes that she would see reason. The book in the cat-faunas' hand answered her question, 'Bloody Seas: Tale of Azure Eye.' Weiss conceded. "Fine, but I'm not responsible for any of this."

The team made their way to the docks. They walked along the shoreline looking for the ship. As the sun started to set on the horizon, they were ready to give up the search. Ruby was disappointed they didn't find anything. Blake and Yang were less so, but still would have preferred to find something. Weiss had an attitude of 'I told you so.' They started to walk back.

On the way, Blake suddenly stopped. "Hang on."

"What is it Blake?"

"I hear something." She looked around and ran off in a direction. "This way!"

The team followed closely behind. When they reached their destination, they found a hidden cove near the docks in Vale. Resting on the sandy shore of the cove was a large Brigantine vessel. Its sails aged beyond use. The ship seemed to be falling apart; yet it remained in one piece, save for a few minor pieces. They found the ship!

Team RWBY had found the wreckage of the ship. It appeared absolutely ancient. However, there was no way to tell if it was the legendary ship in question.

Yang, of course, made the suggestion. "Alright. Let's get up there and check it out."

"Are you crazy?" Weiss, again, tried to be a voice of reason. "You said we only needed to see it. It's here. Besides, the sun is going down."

"Well, we're going up there." Yang wasn't really listening. "You can wait here on your own if you want." After that remark, Yang started to climb the ship up to the deck. Blake and Ruby followed soon after, leave the Ice Queen alone.

"Oh… Fine!" Weiss started to climb after them.

When they reached the deck, they looked around. The top of the deck looked as old as the rest of the ship, but it held their weight with no signs of issue. The group split into teams of two to search the ship for any way to tell if it was the Azure Rose.

After some time, Yang cried out for her team. "I think I found something!"

Before them appeared to be a plaque hung on the wall. When Yang wiped the dust from the piece, they were able to read what was etched into the metal.

I name thee the Azure Rose. Thy name inspired by two truths. You are 'Azure.' Named for my eyes of deepest blue, the name for which I will be remembered. You are the 'Rose.' The name of the woman to whom I promised my life. Truly, you are the Azure Rose and yours shall be the name that lets us remain together in eternity.

The team was frozen. They weren't totally certain what they had just read. Ruby was the first to speak up. "Well… at least we know this is the right ship."

Yang broke off from the group and looked into an adjoining room. "Then, I guess this is who I think it is."

When they looked in the room, they saw something they were not expecting. A chair had set in the back of the room. Sitting in it, was a skeleton. The skeleton's clothing was in tatters, but it appeared to be a blue coat.

"That has to be Azure Eye…" Yang said.

Ruby was now hiding behind her sister. The ship at dusk was scary enough, but now there was a skeleton right in front of them. She could handle monsters, dead people not so much. She made a hasty retreat from the ship and ran for Vale.


	4. Goodbyes

Lukas stood on the docks. He had returned to Atlas after the Azure Rose appeared in Vale. It has been five years since then and he finds himself in Vale once again. He walked through town and walked to the home of his old friend, Autumn.

When Autumn opened the door, a smile spread across her face. "Lukas. It's good to see you again."

"I'll take your word for it. Personally, all this running around for work cannot be good for me."

Autumn laughed. "And yet you made time to see me? You sure your wife will be okay with that?"

"I don't think she'll have a problem. I said I was going to visit old friends and that's what I'm doing."

A little girl, only six years in age, walked into the room. Her red outfit resembled her mother's. In fact, she resembled her mother in almost every aspect. The main difference is the young girl's dark blue hair.

Lukas smiled, "I take it this is Sapphire…"

The girl nodded but didn't speak. She walk over to her mother and grabbed her arm.

Lukas laughed. "She's so much like you."

Autumn laughed as well. "They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, after all."

Lukas's tone became a bit more serious, but he masked it behind a smile. "That reminds me, I still haven't met your husband."

"He's not here at the moment. Life of a huntsman, and all that."

"Funny about that. I looked into the huntsman registry. Can you guess what I found?"

Autumn remained silent. She was clearly nervous.

"I suppose you know what I found. I didn't find anything. There's nothing out of the ordinary, but no actual name of your huntsman husband. It doesn't help that I didn't have a name to work from. For all I know, he was there and I didn't know it." Lukas walked back toward the door. "Maybe next time you'll actually introduce me."

On the streets, Lukas passed by a man in a blue hood. The hooded man walked up to the home of Autumn and knocked on the door.

When the door opened, the young Sapphire was behind it. She looked at the hooded man and smiled. She had only met him a few times, but she knew who he was instantly. "Papa!" She ran up to him.

The hooded man picked her up and walked into the house. "How's my little Sapphire?"

"I'm good. I made a new friend the other day. She's really nice."

The hooded man laughed. "Oh? Can you remember her name, or did you get your dad's horrible memory?"

"Her name is… um… Marie! Maria Arc."

Autumn walked over to them. "We went to see Charlie and his family not too long ago."

The hooded man looked to his daughter, "Sapphire, I need to talk to mommy for a while."

"Okay, papa." The young girl walked off and up to her room.

Autumn looked over to her husband. "Don't you think you could remove your hood while you're here?"

The man smiled and removed his hood. His sea-foam green hair and deep blue eyes finally visible. "Better?"

"Better." Autumn sat down on the sofa and motioned for her husband to join her. When he did, she leaned against him. "It's been so long, and you still look the same as that day.

Azure Eye could only sigh. "We need to talk…" After a pause, "I can't be seen in Vale very often anymore. The harbor workers and kingdom military are getting smarter. I can't sneak in anymore and they may start tracking me here. One more thing… I don't want you lying to Sapphire anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"We both know I'm not a huntsman. I'm a wanted pirate. The rest of the kingdom can believe whatever they want, but I want Sapphire to know the truth."

Autumn's voice sounded concerned. "What if I said she wants to be a huntress? That she wants to make her father proud and be just like him?"

As if on que, Sapphire ran back into the room. She jumped up between the two.

Azure Eye looked at his daughter and smiled. "Sneaky little Sapphire… you never left and you heard everything, didn't you?"

The young girl nodded. "I'm sorry. You're not mad, are you?"

"No. Although… I want you to make me a promise. Okay Sapphire?"

The girl nodded, waiting for what her father would ask her.

Azure Eye handed her a box. "I want you to be your own person. Being like me will only get you trouble. You said you wanted to be a huntress. I say go for it. But I want you to promise me, that you'll become the best huntress Vale ever knew."

Sapphire's eyes filled with excitement and a large smile covered her face. She hugged the pirate tightly.

Azure Eye laughed. "What you don't want it?"

Sapphire opened the box. Inside was a blue hooded cape.

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Nearly 60 years have passed since the day Lukas lost his right hand. The elderly Schnee walked through the local grave site in Vale. He stopped in front of the gravestone of his old friend Autumn.

"You were usually the type to do things before anyone else. You graduated first, got married before the rest of us, now you died before we did." He gave a sad laugh. "Guess I owe Charlie an apology. He always said my attitude would get me killed before we reached an old age. I would usually curse at him for saying that."

There was a crunch of dead leaves behind Lukas. He turned to see a figure in a blue hooded cape. He knew only one person to wear something like that, Autumn's daughter Sapphire. However, he knew it wasn't her. He could tell that: 1) this figure was male. 2) this man had a familiar aura. And 3) This man likely knew and influenced Sapphire. "You… You're Autumn's husband, aren't you?"

The hooded man just slowly nodded. He walked up to the grave. "I'm sorry. I don't have as long as I would like. May I pay my respects while I can?"

Lukas nodded and moved away from the grave, allowing the man the space he requested. Lukas wanted to ask the man why they had never met. He wanted to ask why he was always away from his family.

The man in the hood started to talk before Lukas could ask anything. "I'm sorry, Autumn. I've been away too long. I only wanted to keep you and Sapphire safe from any backlash. I regret not spending more time with you two, but I couldn't risk you getting caught up in my problem."

Lukas had gotten angry hearing this. He grabbed the man by his hood. "If you felt this bad, why didn't you spend time with them?! You were away from own family and you're only now apologizing?!" He pulled the hood from the man's head. He was borderline horrified at what he saw.

The man had sea-foam green hair and deep blue eyes. Lukas recognized him. It was the man who chopped off his hand, Azure Eye. But what scared Lukas the most was why he could tell who this man was so quickly. Despite 60 years having passed, despite the world having moved forward, this man looked the same as that day. He had not aged in 60 years.

Lukas backed away in shock. "What? How?"

"I'm sorry, but I need a while longer."

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As Ruby ran back through Vale, she didn't exactly watch where she was going. She ended up running into someone in the process and the two ended up pushed to the ground from the force of impact. Ruby stood up and looked over to the person she ran into. "I'm so sorry. I just… I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't mean it. Are you okay?"

The man stood up and faced her. He was wearing naval-style attire. Atop this uniform, he had a long blue coat and black gloves. His hair was a sea-foam green and his eyes were a deep azure blue. "It's quite alright. Mind if I ask who ran into me?"

"Oh… I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."

Nice to meet you Ruby. I'm Rosso Wake. People usually call me Azure." He walked toward her and tussled her hair as he passed. "Just promise you'll be more careful from now on." He continued walking, disappearing among the darkened streets.

"Weird." Ruby's team finally caught up to her and they started back to Beacon Academy.

The man the young huntress-in-training had run into had stopped in a nearby alley. After the encounter, he had a single thought in his mind. A thought accompanied by a saddened smile and a single tear. "She looks just like you did all those years ago… My dear, Autumn Rose."

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 **King: Hello. I decided to release the rest of the story. Tell me what you think. Remember, this is an older story I haven't touched for quite a while.**


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